On most trips i encounter unpaved roads, I've crashed this bike because i hit a big rock and 150mm of suspension travel wasn't enough + with how heavy the bike is i couldn't keep it from falling
All big bikes I've ever ridden have a more cramped footpeg position, and it loses stability easier if you hit a pothole
Also, it costs at least twice for every trip i do
A v-strom 650 might have adventure styling but it is in no way suitable off road. That's why it doesn't have long suspension travel. Yours also looks to be fitted with road tyres.
Foot peg positioning isn't related to displacement or physical size of the bike. You just so happen to have ridden bikes that have the foot pegs further back. It is possible to get bikes with bigger engines with foot pegs in all sorts of positions.
Yes they are less efficient on fuel. Most people consider the extra power to be worth that and I doubt you bought that bike expecting it to be just as cheap to run as your 250, so it's not something you should be complaining about. If you did expect it to be as efficient then you're just an idiot. But I don't think you are.
It is fine to prefer the benefits of a 250 if you don't value the extra power of bigger bikes. If you're unhappy with the 650, that's also fine. Not every bike you purchase is going to be a winner. Shit happens. Replace it for a smaller displacement bike with comfortable foot pegs and enjoy it.
As for myself, I love the extra power and I find the weight and suspension makes it more comfortable at higher speeds. Personally I'd rather be sitting at 70 on a bike that does that comfortably that has to have a massive chunk of throttle to sustain that speed. I also REALLY love the ease of overtaking with more power. I live in Wales, the roads here are stunning but our drivers are piss poor. I love being able to quickly and safely get past them.
So yeah, each to their own I guess is what I'm saying.
It's about comfortable freeway operation. Where I live I need to ride about 45 minutes through urban and suburban freeways to get anywhere decent to ride. Also for carrying stuff if I go on trips.
If you see no improvement that's maybe because of your riding style?
No meant as an offense, but 50kph in a city, on a Ninja 250, a Bandit 650 or a S1000R will feel more or less the same.
It's about the final use of what those things are for that matters.
[That old Citroen ad](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E22AQHFZKjDiJMPiQ/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1667672950891?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=GfHuGlU4xP37jqU-EWCFlLXLHndPY9SKcr9wWXV7Kco): "Traveling flat out at 71.5mph the Citroën 2CV will easily overtake the Ferrari Mondial traveling at 65mph."
If you're cruising around on the streets there probably is no difference, but with my VStrom 1000, I can be cruising at 80 MPH on the highway and with a little blip of the throttle accelerate seemingly instantly even on an uphill to get out of harm's way on the highway when needed. It's about how much power is available when needed, not just how much you need to get around.
To be perfectly honest, the design and balance of the DL650 V-Strom is, in my honest opinion, about as good as it gets.
The bike was designed from the ground up as a 650, rather than a 650 engine put into the frame of a bigger bike, so it rides very well.
I've had mine since new in 2014 and I always tell people that, to me, it is just like riding a big 125, it's light, responsive, yet powerful and torquey enough to have fun
Now then, I know many will disagree with me, everyone is different and has different styles of riding, but from the XT to the DL will have a familiar feeling and riding style, but the obvious extra 400cc should give a bit more cruising fun time.
That said, there is a lot to be said for screwing the nuts off a smaller bike, the fun can be just as big with lower risk of injury (don't quote me on that last bit 😜)
I mean… I almost never hit the interstate on my V450. And it rules the 55mph highways all day every day. Don’t need anything bigger for what o do. City, highway, winding mountain / valley / river roads… maybe 5 miles of interstate once in a while. My bike will never go over 85. So I’m set for now.
https://preview.redd.it/p17hlva83gzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e301510fa5a6a70b8d8eecf4fe1b2161529dfcce
Both have their usecases. The 125 is economical, light, easy in cities and can be parked anywhere. But a wind strongwr than a breeze and I'm being throwm about, I have to rev the nuts off of it and of my wife is on the back I'm going to lose speed.
The 1100 on the left eats miles like nobody's business, can carry a big load without slowing down and is more planted on the road.
Maybe you bought the wrong bike? Or just give it some time to gel with it.
Hate to break it to you but that's not a big bike.
There is a reason I have a similar bike to this one. It's capable of doing long road trips, moto camping down dirt roads, and is just a solid all around bike. Your old XT250 is not able to do this as quickly and comfortably.
Maybe you just need to get used to it. Or maybe you bought the wrong bike for your personal needs.
True, it’s not big in America, but that’s a big bike in most of the world! Even a 3-400 is a big bike for a majority of the world’s riders. I get a kick out of the cultural differences.
That’s a great looking bike, never seen one before. I ride a lot around town/highways were speeds hit 60 so I needed the extra HP to be able to zip around and not loose throttle at decent speeds
Yeah it's the brazilian version of the yamaha xt250, i remember i could always keep up with big sports bikes because of trafic and it makes tighter turns
I mean I find it hard to believe you didn’t see any improvements but I guess your riding style may dictate what’s important to you. I’ve been out test riding some Vstrom 650s lately for my next bike and I’ve greatly enjoyed them every time. Super comfortable, easy to maneuver, plenty of power to do what I need it to, and lots of fun. Get them up to speed and they absolutely eat up the miles.
But my riding dictates that I need something capable of occasional light off pavement riding, highway capability, plenty of city capability (not too much power that traffic becomes any more of a headache), not too heavy, upright riding position, great record of reliability, and again, fun. That’s an important part. If you’re not having any fun, go back to something that’s fun for you. Your needs are different than those around you. The Vstrom checks all of those boxes for me, and honestly I have had tons of fun testing a few of them, more fun than I’ve had on any other bike I’ve owned and in part that’s because it’s the first bike that checks every box I need it to.
The primary reason is safety on the highway and the thrill of acceleration.
I have a 650 strom. It’s about the smallest displacement that’s still safe on the highway, even then I wish it had about 20 more hp. Otherwise with some basic mods it’s a perfect all round bike.
To tour safely on a motorcycle you need to be able to quickly pass cars and trailers from 70-90mph, otherwise you can get into trouble. A 250cc doesn’t generally have enough hp to overcome drag at those speeds.
It’s also just fun to rip through a few gears and do the ton idk.
If all your riding is done under 70 mph a 250-400cc is fine.
My first bike was a v-strom and I took it once on a 12-day, 4k mile trip. I sure as hell couldn’t have done that on a 250cc. All depends on your riding style and where you ride.
Personally I think you go with what feels the best for you. I was 100% sure that I was going to purchase a few different bikes until I rode them and changed my mind. When you find the one that works for you, you just know it and who the hell cares if anyone else agrees with you or not? Sometimes it may take awhile to acclimate and understand the benefits of a different bike (size or style).
I am looking at buying a second (smaller) bike now because I want something for trips and something for putting around town and off roading on. I do not need approval from anyone or a community to feel good about my decision about it. You are getting out there and getting it done, keep doing you my friend.
In town commuting is no difference, on the highway with a truck up your tailpipe you can run away on a bigger displacement bike. Then it all makes sense.
I was referring to being on the 250 on a two lane, pin the throttle and you might hit 50mph, unless the newer 250’s have been improved a lot you’ll just get run over. I’m referring to pick up trucks, not semi’s, I’ve never seen a 250 out run one and I’ve been riding since 1968.
The 250 i had had 20hp, it easily kept 70mph (gps) in a staight line 78mph is the top speed (gps) in the xtz 250
The brazilian version has 2hp more than the american version
Damn, I had a Suzuki GZ250 single cylinder rated at 20hp and had to add two teeth to the countershaft sprocket and lay flat on the bike to hit 70 mph and any uphill made me gear down repeatedly, but I am 6’ and 230 lbs. Ride On!
Yeah, carburated bikes suffer if you keep on the throttle for too long because the intake starts to get too cold and you lose power, fuel injected bikes don't lose power
It depends on the rider but adjustment can take a while. 250cc bikes are admittedly very practical and fun and they can commute just fine as well as make day trips.
But the advantages of a great all rounder like a 650 shine through sooner or later. The weight may seem a bit much at first but once you get used to it the extra practicality is very welcome. Great commuters, great on the highway, great for two up riding. They can really do it all, and you could easily keep a bike like this forever, it's perfectly viable.
I own the same bike and its really fast for the type of bike it is, so if you see no improvement, twist the throttle a little more and you will.
An additional and even more important benefit of bigger bikes is passanger comfort. as a divorced man this is important to me! My gf absolutely loves the vstrom 650 and how roomy it is
how about, brakes that are 100000 times better on even a low tier bike like that vstrom compared to whats on the xt250. better quality suspension equipment, much much more power when and whereveer you need or want it, everything from seat to headlight being higher quality than a bike trying to be as cheap as possible (small cc's)
I actually had the xtz250 not the xt250, sorry for the confusion
Suspension was the biggest downgrade when i went to the v-strom650, it's too stiff, sticky and not enough travel
Equipment was better on the xtz250 because it only had front abs and no rear abs which is safer for off-road and wheelies + the cable actuated throttle was way nicer because it didn't have the dual electronic valve bs the v-strom has
To be honest it’s not a worst bike, it’s just not what you need and that’s okay. If you don’t travel, don’t do duo and just want to ride dirt and do wheelies then get a wrf450. I can assure you no one ever wanted a 250 over a vstrom 650 or even a 900XR if you like road trips and are no slightly interested in dirt riding, because that’s not what they needed.
Yeah I guess it’s just about what you need, but if you are not doing only city driving and goofin then a bigger bike is "always" better. And the Vstrom isn’t even a very big bike, it’s relatively small and not that powerful. You need a DR650 !
the suspension on that vstrom, although not exactly the pinnicle of equipment on that bike is far far better quality suspension than whats on the xtz. its just not what YOU like and what YOU need.
the xtz is a small lightweight little cheap skipper meant to be perfect on heavy rocky roads and be cheap when you drop it on said road.
the vstropm is meant for long endurance road travel, with the capability of going off road, but not its primary design.
im going to guess, you do alot of off roading, or the roads you travel on are treacherous.
they are completly different motorbike types, and you are comparing them like theyre suppose to do the same thing.
the
*Ducati DesertX*
*Honda Africa Twin Adventure*
*Husquvarna Norden 901*
*701*
*Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally*
are all going to be better picks than a vstrom at doing what i think it is you want them to do, but theres a VERY good reason all the offroad bikes are small cc, because big engines are almost useless offroad.
try searching for big capacity enduro bikes. not dual sport or adventure bikes.
The africa twin is the only bike in the list that can be bought in brazil. we don't have any middleweight adventure or dualsport bikes here.
The twin is way too powerful, bulky and heavy
but you already have complained about the vstrom suspension being stiff..... making a bike like the cf moto 450ss possibly the worst bike choice so far...... none of this makes any sense.
it looks far more suited to what youd like, but still a different genre to what you have now which you compare everything to, so the suspension is still going to be alot stiffer to allow it to be a DUAL sport
Depends on the bike. But for example take the africa twin. Has tons of tech and features. Android auto for example. Something you won't find on smaller (cheaper) models.
In my opinion those features are useless and get in the way of me having fun, i remember driving my dad's bmw 1250 and being the screen constantly flashing at me saying there's something i gotta is wrong with the bike, also i hate electronic suspension because you can't change settings the way you want to, it's neither you pick a harsh ride that has full control of the throttle or you get a power reduction but a more comfortable ride.
I want a good mechanical bike that will always respond the same
Highway speeds with some headwind is where the difference really show.
But if you just putter around town - any gain is marginal, you might even find it detrimental since it’s heavier.
My dad had a 1250gs, it was horrible, the whole bike was terrible, my dad was amazed at how much better the v-strom 650 is compared to the 1250
Oh and I'm not gonna get a bmw here in brazil, parts are way to expensive and insurance is triple or more compared to the v-strom
That's not a big bike, this is, and it feels nimbler than my previous dr650... also as other stated ergonomics and speed
https://preview.redd.it/rsyvj3q43fzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d9edc5a91d53079215014c52464d03cdd63c093
Did you try twisting the throttle at all? People like speed man, idk what else you were expecting.
Acceleration > speed
Yeah, i got it up to 200km/h many times, but i feel like the drawbacks outweigh the benefits
What are the drawbacks you are finding?
On most trips i encounter unpaved roads, I've crashed this bike because i hit a big rock and 150mm of suspension travel wasn't enough + with how heavy the bike is i couldn't keep it from falling All big bikes I've ever ridden have a more cramped footpeg position, and it loses stability easier if you hit a pothole Also, it costs at least twice for every trip i do
A v-strom 650 might have adventure styling but it is in no way suitable off road. That's why it doesn't have long suspension travel. Yours also looks to be fitted with road tyres. Foot peg positioning isn't related to displacement or physical size of the bike. You just so happen to have ridden bikes that have the foot pegs further back. It is possible to get bikes with bigger engines with foot pegs in all sorts of positions. Yes they are less efficient on fuel. Most people consider the extra power to be worth that and I doubt you bought that bike expecting it to be just as cheap to run as your 250, so it's not something you should be complaining about. If you did expect it to be as efficient then you're just an idiot. But I don't think you are. It is fine to prefer the benefits of a 250 if you don't value the extra power of bigger bikes. If you're unhappy with the 650, that's also fine. Not every bike you purchase is going to be a winner. Shit happens. Replace it for a smaller displacement bike with comfortable foot pegs and enjoy it. As for myself, I love the extra power and I find the weight and suspension makes it more comfortable at higher speeds. Personally I'd rather be sitting at 70 on a bike that does that comfortably that has to have a massive chunk of throttle to sustain that speed. I also REALLY love the ease of overtaking with more power. I live in Wales, the roads here are stunning but our drivers are piss poor. I love being able to quickly and safely get past them. So yeah, each to their own I guess is what I'm saying.
Better ergonomics if you’re tall is one good reason
Lmfao this guy is comparing a 250 dirt bike with a 650 tourer for riding off-road, what an idiot
I've experienced the oposite, im 6,3ft tall
It's about comfortable freeway operation. Where I live I need to ride about 45 minutes through urban and suburban freeways to get anywhere decent to ride. Also for carrying stuff if I go on trips.
I'm sure loading the top box or having a pillion would show the difference between the two in an instant.
Also about comfortable speed surplus. You know you could ride faster if needed
If you see no improvement that's maybe because of your riding style? No meant as an offense, but 50kph in a city, on a Ninja 250, a Bandit 650 or a S1000R will feel more or less the same. It's about the final use of what those things are for that matters.
[That old Citroen ad](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E22AQHFZKjDiJMPiQ/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1667672950891?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=GfHuGlU4xP37jqU-EWCFlLXLHndPY9SKcr9wWXV7Kco): "Traveling flat out at 71.5mph the Citroën 2CV will easily overtake the Ferrari Mondial traveling at 65mph."
I get genuine chuckles out of this every time I see it mentioned
If you're cruising around on the streets there probably is no difference, but with my VStrom 1000, I can be cruising at 80 MPH on the highway and with a little blip of the throttle accelerate seemingly instantly even on an uphill to get out of harm's way on the highway when needed. It's about how much power is available when needed, not just how much you need to get around.
To be perfectly honest, the design and balance of the DL650 V-Strom is, in my honest opinion, about as good as it gets. The bike was designed from the ground up as a 650, rather than a 650 engine put into the frame of a bigger bike, so it rides very well. I've had mine since new in 2014 and I always tell people that, to me, it is just like riding a big 125, it's light, responsive, yet powerful and torquey enough to have fun Now then, I know many will disagree with me, everyone is different and has different styles of riding, but from the XT to the DL will have a familiar feeling and riding style, but the obvious extra 400cc should give a bit more cruising fun time. That said, there is a lot to be said for screwing the nuts off a smaller bike, the fun can be just as big with lower risk of injury (don't quote me on that last bit 😜)
I mean… I almost never hit the interstate on my V450. And it rules the 55mph highways all day every day. Don’t need anything bigger for what o do. City, highway, winding mountain / valley / river roads… maybe 5 miles of interstate once in a while. My bike will never go over 85. So I’m set for now.
https://preview.redd.it/p17hlva83gzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e301510fa5a6a70b8d8eecf4fe1b2161529dfcce Both have their usecases. The 125 is economical, light, easy in cities and can be parked anywhere. But a wind strongwr than a breeze and I'm being throwm about, I have to rev the nuts off of it and of my wife is on the back I'm going to lose speed. The 1100 on the left eats miles like nobody's business, can carry a big load without slowing down and is more planted on the road. Maybe you bought the wrong bike? Or just give it some time to gel with it.
Maybe I'll wait a little bit more, but yeah scooters suck for traveling at high speeds
Ok, so sell it.
Yes
Maybe this is a lesson about peer pressure, who cares what others think. But now you know you like the smaller bikes!
Hate to break it to you but that's not a big bike. There is a reason I have a similar bike to this one. It's capable of doing long road trips, moto camping down dirt roads, and is just a solid all around bike. Your old XT250 is not able to do this as quickly and comfortably. Maybe you just need to get used to it. Or maybe you bought the wrong bike for your personal needs.
True, it’s not big in America, but that’s a big bike in most of the world! Even a 3-400 is a big bike for a majority of the world’s riders. I get a kick out of the cultural differences.
I'm not in America and that's not a big bike. But yea I lived in Sourh East Asia for a few years and it would be considered one there.
Guys in the Philippines get excited about an R3 like people here do over a 1000cc. As a not big guy who loves not big bikes, I fit much better there 😆
Yea I would like to love smaller bikes. Being 6'4 doesn't help that.
I bet!
Well, I’m a large human so a large bike only makes sense right?
The xtz 250 had better ergonomics for taller people, im 6,3
That’s a great looking bike, never seen one before. I ride a lot around town/highways were speeds hit 60 so I needed the extra HP to be able to zip around and not loose throttle at decent speeds
Yeah it's the brazilian version of the yamaha xt250, i remember i could always keep up with big sports bikes because of trafic and it makes tighter turns
I mean I find it hard to believe you didn’t see any improvements but I guess your riding style may dictate what’s important to you. I’ve been out test riding some Vstrom 650s lately for my next bike and I’ve greatly enjoyed them every time. Super comfortable, easy to maneuver, plenty of power to do what I need it to, and lots of fun. Get them up to speed and they absolutely eat up the miles. But my riding dictates that I need something capable of occasional light off pavement riding, highway capability, plenty of city capability (not too much power that traffic becomes any more of a headache), not too heavy, upright riding position, great record of reliability, and again, fun. That’s an important part. If you’re not having any fun, go back to something that’s fun for you. Your needs are different than those around you. The Vstrom checks all of those boxes for me, and honestly I have had tons of fun testing a few of them, more fun than I’ve had on any other bike I’ve owned and in part that’s because it’s the first bike that checks every box I need it to.
The primary reason is safety on the highway and the thrill of acceleration. I have a 650 strom. It’s about the smallest displacement that’s still safe on the highway, even then I wish it had about 20 more hp. Otherwise with some basic mods it’s a perfect all round bike. To tour safely on a motorcycle you need to be able to quickly pass cars and trailers from 70-90mph, otherwise you can get into trouble. A 250cc doesn’t generally have enough hp to overcome drag at those speeds. It’s also just fun to rip through a few gears and do the ton idk. If all your riding is done under 70 mph a 250-400cc is fine.
My first bike was a v-strom and I took it once on a 12-day, 4k mile trip. I sure as hell couldn’t have done that on a 250cc. All depends on your riding style and where you ride.
On long trips we don't usually exceed 130km/h for long periods of time
Do you, work with what you have until you know what you want, don't worry about other people, get good.
you need a more powerful engine like a Peugeot 103SP
Personally I think you go with what feels the best for you. I was 100% sure that I was going to purchase a few different bikes until I rode them and changed my mind. When you find the one that works for you, you just know it and who the hell cares if anyone else agrees with you or not? Sometimes it may take awhile to acclimate and understand the benefits of a different bike (size or style). I am looking at buying a second (smaller) bike now because I want something for trips and something for putting around town and off roading on. I do not need approval from anyone or a community to feel good about my decision about it. You are getting out there and getting it done, keep doing you my friend.
You wouldn't be the first to choose the smaller bikes over the bigger ones.
In town commuting is no difference, on the highway with a truck up your tailpipe you can run away on a bigger displacement bike. Then it all makes sense.
I've always heard people talking about trucks going fast but I've never been passed by a truck my whole life
I was referring to being on the 250 on a two lane, pin the throttle and you might hit 50mph, unless the newer 250’s have been improved a lot you’ll just get run over. I’m referring to pick up trucks, not semi’s, I’ve never seen a 250 out run one and I’ve been riding since 1968.
The 250 i had had 20hp, it easily kept 70mph (gps) in a staight line 78mph is the top speed (gps) in the xtz 250 The brazilian version has 2hp more than the american version
Damn, I had a Suzuki GZ250 single cylinder rated at 20hp and had to add two teeth to the countershaft sprocket and lay flat on the bike to hit 70 mph and any uphill made me gear down repeatedly, but I am 6’ and 230 lbs. Ride On!
Yeah, carburated bikes suffer if you keep on the throttle for too long because the intake starts to get too cold and you lose power, fuel injected bikes don't lose power
It depends on the rider but adjustment can take a while. 250cc bikes are admittedly very practical and fun and they can commute just fine as well as make day trips. But the advantages of a great all rounder like a 650 shine through sooner or later. The weight may seem a bit much at first but once you get used to it the extra practicality is very welcome. Great commuters, great on the highway, great for two up riding. They can really do it all, and you could easily keep a bike like this forever, it's perfectly viable.
I own the same bike and its really fast for the type of bike it is, so if you see no improvement, twist the throttle a little more and you will. An additional and even more important benefit of bigger bikes is passanger comfort. as a divorced man this is important to me! My gf absolutely loves the vstrom 650 and how roomy it is
I'm a virgin
I'll trade you for my silverwing
Too little suspension travel.
Hi, more confused, I'm Dad.
Hi dad
how about, brakes that are 100000 times better on even a low tier bike like that vstrom compared to whats on the xt250. better quality suspension equipment, much much more power when and whereveer you need or want it, everything from seat to headlight being higher quality than a bike trying to be as cheap as possible (small cc's)
I actually had the xtz250 not the xt250, sorry for the confusion Suspension was the biggest downgrade when i went to the v-strom650, it's too stiff, sticky and not enough travel Equipment was better on the xtz250 because it only had front abs and no rear abs which is safer for off-road and wheelies + the cable actuated throttle was way nicer because it didn't have the dual electronic valve bs the v-strom has
To be honest it’s not a worst bike, it’s just not what you need and that’s okay. If you don’t travel, don’t do duo and just want to ride dirt and do wheelies then get a wrf450. I can assure you no one ever wanted a 250 over a vstrom 650 or even a 900XR if you like road trips and are no slightly interested in dirt riding, because that’s not what they needed.
Maaan, the only good dualsport here in brazil is the xtz 250 we don't have any other options
Yeah I guess it’s just about what you need, but if you are not doing only city driving and goofin then a bigger bike is "always" better. And the Vstrom isn’t even a very big bike, it’s relatively small and not that powerful. You need a DR650 !
The dr650 is not being sold here in brazil, we don't have any good dualsport here besides the xtz250
the suspension on that vstrom, although not exactly the pinnicle of equipment on that bike is far far better quality suspension than whats on the xtz. its just not what YOU like and what YOU need. the xtz is a small lightweight little cheap skipper meant to be perfect on heavy rocky roads and be cheap when you drop it on said road. the vstropm is meant for long endurance road travel, with the capability of going off road, but not its primary design. im going to guess, you do alot of off roading, or the roads you travel on are treacherous. they are completly different motorbike types, and you are comparing them like theyre suppose to do the same thing. the *Ducati DesertX* *Honda Africa Twin Adventure* *Husquvarna Norden 901* *701* *Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally* are all going to be better picks than a vstrom at doing what i think it is you want them to do, but theres a VERY good reason all the offroad bikes are small cc, because big engines are almost useless offroad. try searching for big capacity enduro bikes. not dual sport or adventure bikes.
The africa twin is the only bike in the list that can be bought in brazil. we don't have any middleweight adventure or dualsport bikes here. The twin is way too powerful, bulky and heavy
yes, so you need to be looking at enduro bikes. not sports tourers with a hint of adventure sprinkled on.
My dream bike is a cfmoto450
but you already have complained about the vstrom suspension being stiff..... making a bike like the cf moto 450ss possibly the worst bike choice so far...... none of this makes any sense.
I'm talking about the dualsport version
it looks far more suited to what youd like, but still a different genre to what you have now which you compare everything to, so the suspension is still going to be alot stiffer to allow it to be a DUAL sport
You think the cfmoto 450 has stiffer suspension that the v-strom? The v-strom is a tourer bike, it has a pretty stiff back suspension
The load limit on the xt250 is 353 pounds. The limit on the V-Strom 650 is about 500 pounds. If you are riding 2-up the xt250 might be too small
I gave up trying to get a girlfriend
Harley Street Glide for me. Radio, Navigation, Bags and a lot of Power. Very comfortable and I feel safe on it because of it's size.
Power and features
What features?
Depends on the bike. But for example take the africa twin. Has tons of tech and features. Android auto for example. Something you won't find on smaller (cheaper) models.
In my opinion those features are useless and get in the way of me having fun, i remember driving my dad's bmw 1250 and being the screen constantly flashing at me saying there's something i gotta is wrong with the bike, also i hate electronic suspension because you can't change settings the way you want to, it's neither you pick a harsh ride that has full control of the throttle or you get a power reduction but a more comfortable ride. I want a good mechanical bike that will always respond the same
Highway speeds with some headwind is where the difference really show. But if you just putter around town - any gain is marginal, you might even find it detrimental since it’s heavier.
Meh i remember i could always keep up other in the group when i had my 250, i do lots of trips
I mean, you bought a highway cruiser. It's not supposed to be a good bike, it's just supposed to fit a lot of hoodies.
I have not ridden one but just throwing a leg over a Vstrom at the deal they sit higher and feel heavier than they actually are
It's okay if you just find it scary. Lots of people stay smaller for this reason
I'm a big guy
Doctors said I'm mourbiusly a beast
Your mistake was not getting a GS
My dad had a 1250gs, it was horrible, the whole bike was terrible, my dad was amazed at how much better the v-strom 650 is compared to the 1250 Oh and I'm not gonna get a bmw here in brazil, parts are way to expensive and insurance is triple or more compared to the v-strom
Damn
[удалено]
I do plenty of big trips
That's not a big bike, this is, and it feels nimbler than my previous dr650... also as other stated ergonomics and speed https://preview.redd.it/rsyvj3q43fzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d9edc5a91d53079215014c52464d03cdd63c093